The former head of communications for BBC News pledged to "drip poison" about Meirion Jones, the Newsnight producer, and another BBC press officer suggested he should be sacked over suspicions that he leaked information to newspapers about the programme's axed film on Jimmy Savile.

James Hardy told Helen Deller, a colleague in the BBC press office, that he would "drip poison about Meirion's suspected role" following a newspaper story on the dropped Newsnight film in January, according to emails revealed by the Pollard review on Wednesday.

The report by former head of Sky News Nick Pollard into the BBC's handling of the Newsnight Savile story, axed in late 2011, and its aftermath laid bare tensions and in-fighting at the BBC as it struggled to handle the fallout from the Savile scandal and allegations of a coverup.

Pollard's report said that Hardy read a Sunday Mirror story about the dropped Newsnight film and "while he was unconcerned by it, he would 'drip poison about Meirion's suspected role' if he got the opportunity".

Hardy later wrote to the Pollard review to say he regretted using the phrase "drip poison" and that he never intended to speak to anyone outside the BBC, but to "complain about what he regarded as very damaging leaks to somebody senior in BBC News".

The report revealed that Deller explored plans to get Jones sacked or disciplined over suspicions of leaking in October, shortly before ITV's Exposure documentary exposed Savile's child sex abuse and put the spotlight on the BBC over its abandoned Newsnight story.

Deller said in an email to the Newsnight editor Peter Rippon, deputy news director Stephen Mitchell and Paddy Feeny, the BBC News head of communications on 1 October: "No excuse. No more discussions with him."

She then suggested "a discreet conversation with HR to establish options" about Jones's employment at the BBC.

Pollard said in his report that there was a "complete distrust" in the BBC press office of Jones, who worked on the Savile story with reporter Liz MacKean, and that Deller's comments illustrated that "battle lines" were being drawn at the corporation in early October.

He added: "Ms Deller and Mr Feeny were, by this stage, evidently concerned about the continuing leaking of material to the media, of which they assumed Mr Jones to be the source. The pair had taken the view that this should lead to disciplinary action against Mr Jones and even his dismissal.

"These comments illustrate graphically that battle lines were now being drawn up. On one side was Peter Rippon's view: he was being supported, effectively, by News Division management, the Press Office and other senior individuals. On the other side were Mr Jones and Ms MacKean with it being assumed that Mr Jones was making use of contacts in the national media. This apparent 'stand off' made calm and objective assessment of the facts more difficult."

Elsewhere in his report, Pollard said that "staff at all levels must abandon the sort of insularity, leaking and distrust" seen across the BBC.

Lord Patten, the BBC Trust chairman, criticised "corrosive leaking" at the corporation in a TV interview following the publication of the report on Wednesday.

The former BBC director general, George Entwistle, told Pollard during his interview for the inquiry that he refused to have an off-the-record conversation with Jones because "to be frank, I didn't trust him to have an off-the-record conversation with me".

Jones, who was completely vindicated in Pollard's report, has vehemently denied leaking information to newspapers about Savile.

On Wednesday, he said in a statement outside the corporation's New Broadcasting House in London that he hopes the BBC will take measures to ensure the Savile saga is never repeated.

"The BBC pulled the investigation and ran the tributes into Sir Jimmy Savile that caused all this chaos and let down the victims and trust in the BBC – I hope the BBC now takes measures to make sure nothing like that ever happens again," he said.

Hardy, who is now paid £105,800 a year as head of communications for BBC audio and music, declined to comment.

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